Rotary engine.



V F. L. METCALF.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9 1918.

1,266,29, Patented May 14, 1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR fax/3M -15; ATTORNEY F L. METCALF.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Patented May14,1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

? INVENTOR v/ ig M A ORNEY F. LfMETCALF.

ROTARY ENGINE. v APPLl CATl0N FILED FEB. 9. 1918.

Patented May 14, 1918.

5 SHEETSSHEET 3 F. 1.. METCALF. ROTARY ENGINE- APPUCATIQH FILED FEB.9,1918. 1 ,266,%9u Patented May14,l918.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

1' BY L I ATTORNEY F. L. METCALF.

ROTARY ENGI NE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9,19I8- 1,%66,298. Patented May14,1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5- E T 2? o PR I 23' h- INVENTOR 7 04 may ATTORNEYpension.

FRED L. METGALE, OF PLAINEIELD, NEW JERSEY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1918.

Application filed February 9, 1918. Serial No. 216,149.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED L. METCALF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,have invented-a certain new and useful Improvement in Rotary Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention is a rotary engine, wherein the motor fluid may be usedexpansively. The out off mechanism is controlled by the rotor to confinethe motor fluid in the cylinder after it has followed the rotor over apredetermined fraction of its stroke. The rotor is formed of twoconcentric cylindrical shells, one of which is a cam fast on the rotorshaft, and the other is a sleeve rotatable on said cam. There are portsin both cam and sleeve. The rotor has a head at each end, one of saidheads having a port which is always in communication with the motorfluid inlet duct. The motor fluid then passes through the cam, and whenthe ports in cam and sleeve are in correspondence escapes to thecylinder, entering a space between the rotor and a swinging abutment,which at one edge is hinged to the cylinder and at the other edge ishinged to the sleeve. The unbalanced pressure in said space causes therotor to begin its stroke, and to continue until the ports are no longerin correspondence, when the motor fluid is out otfthe confined fluidthen continuing to actuate the rotor by reason of its expansion. Theexhaust duct remains throughout the stroke open for the escape of fluidin advance-of the rotor, the escape of the working fluid from thecylinder chamber during the period of the stroke being prevented bycontact between the rotor sleeve and the interior surface of thecontaining cylinder. The final release of the fluid from the chamber iseffected automatically by the arrival of the said line of contact attheanterior margin of the exhaust port, at the termination of the strokeshortly before the rotor has ar-' rived again at its initial position,and the ensuing retreat of the rotor sleeve from its contact with theexternal cylinder. In the manner described, the rotor itself thusconstitutes both the supply and exhaust valves of the engine. The periodof cut 05 may be adjusted to suit a desired degree of ex- In theaccompanying drawings- Figure l is a longitudinal section of my rotaryengine.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line II II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rotor;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the rotor sleeve.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the swing ing abutment.

Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 are cross sections on the line V1 VI of Fig. 1, showingthe rotor in different positions in its stroke.

F 10 is a side elevation of the rotor the bottom of said bed anddisposed in linetransversely across the same are the motor fluid inletduct 4 and the exhaust duct 5.

The cylinder 6 contains two engines, the rotors of which are set 180apart, as will be hereafter explained. Bolted to the ends of thecylinder 6 are heads 7, 8, which are alike. Said heads are eachpreferably substantially cup-shaped. On the outer side of said heads arestufling boxes through which pass the rotor shaft 10. n the centralportion of each head is an inward shouldered projection 11 whichreceives a bushing 12. The rotor shaft 10 is shouldered 'to fit againstthe ends of said bushings; I

. As the working parts of the two engines contained in cylinder 6 arealike, a description of the construction of said parts of one engineapplies to both.

-. The rotor comprisesthe following parts:

two cylindrical shellsnamely; first, a hollow'cylindrical cam 13, shownseparately in perspective in Fig. 3. Said cam is open at both 'ends, andhas a longitudinal internal enlargement 14,- in which is an opening 15for the reception of shaft 10 which is keyed in said opening. The cam13, which is thus eccentrically supported on shaft 10, has in its wall aquadrangular port 20. Second, a sleeve 21, shown separately inperspective in Fig. at, in which the cam 13 rotatably fits. In the wallof said sleeve is a quadrangular port 22, here shown of greatercircumferential length than port 29. On the sleeve 21 is a longitudinalprojection 24, at the end portions of which are two lugs 25.

V The surface of the projection 24 between the I lugs 25 is grooved andprovided with channels 26 for the reception of packing.

The open ends of the respective rotors are closed'by heads 27, 28, 29,30, Figs. 1 and 10. The heads 27 and 28 close the ends of the rotor ofthe engine on the left of Fig. 1, and the heads 29 and 30 close the endsof the rotor of the engine on the right of Fig. 1. The heads 27 and 30are alike, and the heads 28 and 29 are alike. The head 30 is a diskhaving its circumferential periphery outwardly stepped and enters theinwardly stepped wall or flange of the cup shaped head 8. Clearances areleft between the head 30 and the flange of head 8 for the reception ofsuitable packing. The opposite head 29 is also in circular disk form,and is similarly stepped.

Midway the length of the cylinder 6 and integral with the wall of saidcylinder is a stepped circumferential rib 31, against one side of whichthe head 29 is seated, the similar head 28 being seated against theother side, and the faces of said heads within the rib meeting. Eachhead 27 and 30 has a port 32, surrounding whiclrpn the inner side of thehead is a flange 33 which is received within the rotor cam 13. On thehead 29 is a flange 34:, similar to flange 33, which enters the oppositeend of cam 13. The shaft 10 is shouldered .to bear against theinnerfaces of the heads 27 and 30. The port 32 communicates with the hollowspace within the head 8, and this space in turn, bythe duct 35 in theengine bed, communicates with the inlet duct a.

It will, therefore, be understood that motor fluid entering at the inlet4 proceeds to the duct 35, to the hollow spaces within. the heads 7, 8,and thence by the ports 32 to the interior of the rotor cam 13.

T will now describe the swinging abutments which are alike in the twoengines.

One of these abutments is shown separately and in perspective in Fig. 5.It comprises a curved plate 36, on the concave side of which andextending from one edge thereof is a projection 37 Which enters and fitsthe port 22. The object of the project1on 37 1s simply to fill the port22, and so eliminate a space which otherwise would be filled by fluid.One edge of the abutment 1S grooved to receive the lugs 25 on sleeve 21.T11 themiddle of said edge is a rounded lug 38 which fits in the grooveof projection 24 and between the lugs 25 of the sleeve 21-these partsbeing hinged together by a pin 39 passing through the lugs 25 and 38.The rounded edge of abutment 36 is received in a groove in the enginebed. Near the edge 10 of the abutment is a longitudinal opening. A longpin 41, Fig. 1, bears at its ends against the inner faces of thecylinder heads 7, 8, and passes through the openings of both abutments36. In this way the abutments 36 are hinged to the cylinder. The cams 13of the two engines are united by headed bolts 42 which extend throughopenings in the enlargements 1a of said cams.

The operation of the followed.

Tn Fig. 6 the port 20 in the rotor cam parts can now be 13 is closed bysleeve 21. The duct at in the engine bed 1-which duct communicates withthe exhaust duct 5is open. This is the condition shown in Fig. 6, andalso in the engine at the left of Fig. 1. At this time the rotor of theother engine on the right the space 413, Fig. 7, which is just beginningto form below the rotor, pressing upon the abutment 36 and said rotor.The unbal anced steam pressure acts on the rotor to move it in thedirection of the arrow a, as stated. The cam 13 turns within sleeve 21,until the ports 20, 22 are no longer in communication,and port 20 isclosedby the sleeve 21. This is the condition shown in Fig. 8, fromwhich it will be seen that the space 43 has now largely increased insize. The exhaust duct a4 is still more widely opened. But because theport 20 is closed, the motor fluid is out ofi from space 43. Itsexpansion in said space now causes the further revolution of the rotor,duringwhich the parts assuine the position shown in Fig. 9, when theexhaust duct 14 is closed. Further revolution of the rotor brings theparts back to the position of Fig. 3.

For pur p oses of lubrication, T bore the shaft 10, as shown at 15, Fig.1, closing the ends by screw plugs 46. Radial channels communicatingwith bore d5 leadthe lubricant to the meeting surface of para 13 andsleeve 21, and similar channels 49 lead the lubricant to the shafthearings in heads 7, 8. Tn each stufing-box I provide an opening '50,threaded at its upper end to receive a screw plug, through which openingliquid lubricant is introduced into bore 45.

of Fig. 1 is in a position 180 different from 1,aec,aes a;

The rotors of the two engines here shown are set 180 apart in order thatone rotor may counterbalance the other. Should either engine be broughtto a position of rest at or about the second quarter of its revolution,as shown in Fig. 8, it may be necessary to deliver motor fluid into thespace 43.

- This I may do by means of a valve 51, Fig.

8, which controls a small passage leading into the engine cylinder fromthe inlet duct 35. A similarly placed valve is associated in like mannerwith the other engine. Because the rotors are 180 apart, one of the twowill be situated between the location of the valve 51 and its position,as indicated in Fig. 9, hence the admission of the motor fluid throughone or the other valve starts both of the connected rotors. Thisexpedient will, of course, be unnecessary if the rotors of a pluralityof engines having a common shaft are set at different angles.

It is to be noted that the admission and cut off of motor fluid iscontrolled by the ports in the rotor, and not by any extraneous valvegoverned by said rotor, so that the rotor is substantially its ownvalve, which is opened or closed by the relative movements of the camand sleeve. The timing of the cut off depends upon the relativecircumferential measurements of the said ports, and, therefore, byvaryin these meas urements in designing a partic ar engine, a desireddegree of fluid expansion is easily obtained.

I claim:

1. A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder having a motor fluid inlet andoutlet, a rotor shaft, a rotor eccentrically supported on said shaft andcomprising two concentric cylindrical shells, each shell having a'portin its wall, the inner shell being in communication with said motorfluid inlet, and an abutment having one edge pivoted to said cylinderand its opposite edge pivoted to said outer shell.

2. A rotary engine, com rising a cylinder having a motor fluid i et andoutlet, a rotor shaft, a rotor, the said rotor comprising a hollowcylindrical cam on said shaft and a sleeve on said cam, there beingports in said cam and said sleeve, heads on said rotor, one

of said heads having a port communicating with said motor fluid inlet,and a swinging abutment hinged at one edge to said cylinder and at itsopposite edge to said sleeve.

3. A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder having a motor fluid inlet, asubstantially cup-shaped head on said'cylinder communicatin with saidinlet, a rotor shaft in said cylin er, a rotor comprisin a hollowcylindrical cam on said shaft an a sleeve on said cam, there being portsin said cam and said sleeve, heads on said rotor, one of said rotorheads closing the open end of said cylinder head and having a port, anda swinging abutment hinged at one edge to said cylinder and at itsopposite edge to said sleeve.

4:. A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder having a motor fluid inletand outlet, a rotor shaft, a rotor supported onsaid shaft and comprisinga cam and a sleeve on said cam, there being ports in said cam andsleeve, and a swingin abutment having one edge pivoted to saic? cylinderbetween said inlet and outlet and its opposite edge pivoted to saidsleeve.

5. A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder, a circumferential ribtherein, a rotor shaft, two rotors on said shaft, each rotor comprisinga hollow cylindrical cam and a sleeve on said cam, and two heads on eachof said rotors, the adjacent heads of. said rotors being seated onopposite sides of said rib.

6. A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder having a motor fluid inlet, arotor shaft, a rotor formed of two concentric cylindrical shells, eachhaving a port in its wall, the inner shell communicating with saidinlet, means for relatively moving said rotor shells to bring said portsinto and out of correspondence to control the passage of motor fluidfrom said rotor to said cylinder, and means for conveying lubricant tothe joint between said shells.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my I signature in presence of twowitnesses.

FRED L. METCALF.

Witnesses:

Gnnrnonn T. Pon'rnR, MAY T. MCGARRY.

